THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 5, 1995 TAG: 9502060225
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Interview
LENGTH: Long : 117 lines
Hans J. Gant was tapped last month to head Forward Hampton Roads, the economic development arm of the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce. He starts March 1. Gant was interviewed last week by staff writer Mylene Mangalindan. Here is an excerpt.
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Q How do you define economic development, which is the mission of Forward Hampton Roads? Will you be concentrating more on bringing new companies to the area or developing companies already existing?
A I think that economic development really is a broad term. It means different things to different people and different organizations. Traditionally, economic development surrounds itself around a community preparing an infrastructure. Are the roads in place? Is the infrastructure in place, whether it be rail or roads or ports or airports? Is the human infrastructure in place, in terms of the labor force and the training and the education? I see our role as probably a blend of both: promoting for improved infrastructure and also to go out and do a bit of recruiting of new industry and business to the region, as well as creating a business climate in the region that makes it conducive for existing industries.
Q What are your goals?
What do you expect to accomplish?
A There are two primary goals.
One is to build upon the existing program, strengthen it, hopefully expand it, to provide a program that makes it more attractive to existing industries that want to grow and expand in the area.
The second goal would be to market the region and each of the five cities in the region on a regional, national and international basis to target businesses and industries that would have a great probability of succeeding in the region.
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Q What was your role or contribution to the economic development in Columbus, Georgia? You used a team approach.
A Very much so. No one person can do the things that a community needs to be able to recruit an industry. It has to be a total community team effort. It has to be a strong partnership between the community, the government and the business community in order to be successful in creating an environment where new industries feel they can flourish and make a profit. One of the things we've been very successful with here in Columbus has been in developing such a team and such an atmosphere.
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Q. What sort of role do you play? Are you the lead recruiter?
A. My role is someone who facilitates, bringing all the resources together, whether they be city or private, whether they be state or federal, to put forth a coordinated, cohesive approach to developing new industry. And the other part of what we do is provide strong support for existing business and industry to expand. One of the important things for existing business is to not to be forgotten because 70 or 80 percent, if not more, of the new jobs that will be created in one community are going to come from existing businesses and industries. That's more important from an economic development and growth standpoint than creating new industry.
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Q. What do you think about your experience compelled the chamber to pick you? What makes you qualified for this job?
A. I had the opportunity to work in three different environments. I worked here with the consolidated city government for 15 years, and when I left city government, I was director of city planning. Knowing the government side of planning and city development, I think, was an important factor. The other important factor was having the business-side experience as a real estate developer for a local development company developing office buildings, condominiums, single-family neighborhoods, apartments. Then the actual experience of someone in the chamber economic development business that has gone out and had a successful record in terms of existing programs and recruiting new industry and business. So I guess it was a combination of those three factors.
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Q. How is your previous experience comparable to working in a region this size, because Columbus, Georgia, is much smaller than this region?
A. I don't think it'll be a difficult transition. The principles are the same no matter if it's a medium-sized city or a large-sized city. By pulling together the community leadership on both the private side and public side, and building upon the team that already exists there, I don't think it'll be difficult to make the transition from here to there.
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Q. From what you know about the area, what do you see as the major problems here?
A. Problems? How about opportunities? I don't like to think in terms of problems. Obviously the military presence is very deep in the roots of the Norfolk area, very much part of the fabric of the region. As the area downsizes, it will be an opportunity to take advantage of the skilled labor force that is exiting the service there to make it part of the private-sector growth in the area.
The geographic location of Norfolk in terms of its port and its harbor, its ability to recruit international businesses to the area, is tremendous. From that location, having access to both the Southeast and Northeast marketplace is very strategic. That's an outstanding opportunity to recruit new industry to the area as well as promoting Norfolk on an international basis. You've got a population of 1.5 million, and that is a tremendous resource. Selling that work force, training that work force and getting it ready for the next century are relatively important opportunities for the area. The institutions of higher learning in the area - those are important for future support of industries and businesses locating to the area. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
Photo
HANS J. GANT
Age: 43
Born: Einbeck, Germany
Education: Columbus College, Georgia; degree in community
planning and development
Family: married, 2 sons
Residence: Columbus, Ga., since 1965
Hobbies: sailing, skiing, reading, spending time with children.
by CNB